What Clothes to Hang, What Clothes to Fold: Fall Edition

Don’t even think about folding this silk blouse. (Photo: Topshop)

To hang or to fold? It’s a question we’ve all asked at one time or another, especially when it comes to items like jeans, knits, and tees. In the interest of keeping your fall wardrobe crisp, here’s a quick fold-or-hang guide.

HANG

Silk, 1oo% cotton, rayon, satin, and velvet blouses. This one’s a no-brainer: Always place blouses on hangers with a solid grip (velvet slimlines are life-changing—they’re strong, and they create an abundance of valuable real estate in your closet.) If you’re hanging button-downs, make sure the top is secured—this keeps the collar from developing pesky creases.

Trousers and dress pants. Use clips to hang these guys at the waist or the hem (so they hang vertically in your closet) or fold them along the crease and drape over the bar of a hanger.

Dresses and jumpsuits. Always hang your dresses and jumpsuits vertically on hangers, unless they’re heavily embellished.

Jackets (leather, suede, down), overcoats, and blazers. Blazers and casual jackets can be hung on a regular-grip hanger, but heavy coats will fare best on a curved suit hanger, which can handle their weight and will keep their shape.

Dress skirts. Pleated skirts, silk skirts, suede skirts, and leather skirts should be hung at the waist with clipped hangers.

FOLD

Sweaters. Even with slimline hangers, wool, cashmere, and angora will stretch when hung, so it’s always best to fold your sweaters to keep their shape. That said, if you’re tight on shelf space, fold your knits in half once and lay over the bar of a hanger.

Casual skirts. Denim skirts or thick-knit skirts, can be folded on a shelf or slung over a hanger’s bar.

Heavy pants. Jeans, cords, leather leggings, cargos. These are thick enough that folding won’t cause them to wrinkle.

Embellished Evening gowns. Loosely folding an evening gown keeps its shape better than hanging, especially if it’s got heavy embellishments. Don’t just shove it on a shelf, though: Loosely wrap it in tissue paper and keep it in a box.

T-shirts. Fold all short-sleeve and long-sleeve tees.